Labour leader says projected rise in number of children hit by policy is powerful' reason to ditch it but refuses to set timelineKeir Starmer has said he is not immune" to the powerful argument for scrapping the two-child benefit cap, after experts said the number of children affected by it would rise by a third in the next five years.The Labour leader refused to set out a timeline for when he would scrap the policy, despite previously saying he would ditch it if he could. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6NK3Q)
Jens Stoltenberg accused of escalation of tension' as he warns of growing threat from Russia and ChinaThe Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has indicated that the military alliance is considering whether to increase the number of available nuclear weapons, triggering warnings from experts about the possibility of a new arms race.Stoltenberg said Nato could, for the first time, face a significant nuclear threat from two fronts - Russia and China - and that it may be necessary to increase the number of deployable warheads as a deterrent. Continue reading...
Police not looking for anyone else over death of Dora and Peter Leese, whose bodies were found at their home in AprilAn elderly couple found dead with gunshots wounds at their Staffordshire bungalow were devoted" to each other, a neighbour has said.Dora Leese, 77, was found with gunshot wounds to her chest at their home in Meir Park, Staffordshire, next to her husband, Peter, 78, who also had gunshot wounds, on 20 April. Continue reading...
NFU's Hugh Broom says incident in Surrey looks horrendous' but the cow could have hurt someoneOfficers who hit an escaped cow with a car probably did the right thing at the time" even if it looks horrendous", a union leader and farmer has said.A video showing a police car hitting the calf on Friday night on a residential street in Staines-upon-Thames was met with widespread outrage, including from the RSCPA which criticised the move as disproportionate". Continue reading...
MP Barry Gardiner told Christine Lee, who is bringing action against Security Service, of suggestion it was trying to shift attention from scandalA Labour MP and key ally of Jeremy Corbyn claimed it had been suggested that MI5 issued a rare alert notice about a lawyer who the Security Service believed was a Chinese mole as a distraction from Partygate, a tribunal has heard.The Security Service issued an interference alert against Christine Lee in 2022, the day after Boris Johnson apologised for the Partygate scandal, warning MPs that she was a suspected Chinese agent who had engaged in political interference activities" on behalf of a branch of the Chinese Communist party (CCP). Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6NK0F)
Exclusive: almost half of billionaire Tory donor's last 100 reposts were in support of rightwing partyA Tory peer and former party donor has shared dozens of social media posts supportive of Nigel Farage and Reform UK.During the course of the election campaign Peter Cruddas, the billionaire Tory donor who was controversially ennobled by Boris Johnson, has reposted a string of material calling on voters to back Farage and his party. Continue reading...
List of horror stories' highlights need to respect women's personal space and avoid patronising questionsMale mountaineers should be more mindful of women's concerns about their personal safety in remote areas and avoid patronising them by questioning their map-reading abilities, a climbing expert has said.The advice comes in response to female hillwalkers and mountaineers saying sceptical attitudes towards their skills and unwanted attention are discouraging women from taking up the sport. Continue reading...
Inquest opens into death of Connor MacKenzie Clark, 18, who is believed to have taken his own lifeA Royal Marines major who was a member of the bearer party for the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin has denied telling a teenage trainee who is believed to have taken his own life that he was the worst recruit" and a failure".Maj Mark Thrift also said he could not understand why a search for Connor MacKenzie Clark, whose body was found on a railway track in Devon a few metres from the training camp, was not launched when he was reported missing. Continue reading...
Dr Vivek Murthy asks for required labels that state social media is associated with significant mental health harms'The US surgeon general has asked for a warning label to be included on social media platforms, similar to ones included on cigarettes and other tobacco products.In a New York Times op-ed piece published Monday, Dr Vivek Murthy argued that social media platforms have contributed to a mental health crisis among US youth. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Some of the drivers say they were not paid in full and in some cases billed thousands for vehicle damageA group of drivers hired in Spain and brought to the UK to deliver Amazon packages to British households in the run-up to Christmas are taking legal action against the company and one of its subcontractors.The drivers claim the subcontractor promised them earnings of more than 100 a day, free housing, van rental, insurance and free return flights via an online meeting in Spanish. Continue reading...
Six holidaymakers reported dead or missing in nine days as Mediterranean experiences abnormally hot' weatherSearch operations to find three missing tourists on two Greek islands have intensified after police announced that two holidaymakers had been found dead on other islands over the weekend.Rescue teams supported by sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones have been scouring the Cycladic islands of Sikinos and Amorgos for two French women and an American man who went missing last week. Continue reading...
by Martin Belam (now) and Jamie Grierson (earlier) on (#6NJP5)
Move could signal end to coalition and more control by Israeli PM over war in GazaHostilities continue in Rafah and southern Gaza despite the Israeli military's announcement on Sunday of tactical pauses in operations to allow humanitarian aid to enter, Reuters reports Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini, told the media in Oslo on Monday.In its latest operational update, Israel's military has claimed it is still operating in the Rafah area of Gaza, where it says IDF troops located numerous weapons and struck a number of structures rigged with explosives that posed a threat to the forces." Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Photographs by Graeme Robertson on (#6NJXF)
Though veteran MP was eventually allowed to stand for Labour, the dispute has left many black voters despondentOn a bright sunny June afternoon, sunlight bounces off Thomas J Price's Warm Shores, a pair of 9ft bronze statues of a man and woman that stand proudly outside Hackney town hall as a celebration of the Windrush generation.The statues had a great view when Diane Abbott, whose Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency sits just to the north, made a speech confirming she was determined to run again as an MP after a major row with Labour. Continue reading...
by Jim Waterson Political media editor on (#6NJVS)
Article in US paper claims Robert Winnett, due to join from Telegraph, used material from self-described thief'The Washington Post has published an investigation that accuses its own future editor of using the work of a self-described blagger who stole private records to order.Under the headline Incoming Post editor tied to self-described thief' who claimed role in his reporting", the newspaper claimed that Robert Winnett used material from a self-confessed blagger, John Ford, while working as a journalist on the Sunday Times during the 2000s. Continue reading...
by Peter Walker Senior political correspondent on (#6NJSX)
The campaign group Best for Britain has launched its guide on how to vote to have the best chance of ousting the Tories. We look at what tactical voting involves and what the group is recommending
Narrow win for supporters after fierce farmers' protests, loss of green seats to far right and political wranglingThe EU has passed a landmark law to protect nature after a knife-edge vote, ending a months-long deadlock among member states spooked by fierce protests from farmers.The law, which has proven to be the most controversial pillar of the European Green Deal and nearly failed at the final hurdle, sets a target to restore at least 20% of the EU's land and sea by the end of the decade. Continue reading...
Paul McNaughton must serve 22 years in jail after admitting to murdering Peter Coshan in Leith flat in 2022A 29-year-old man who admitted murdering a retired Fettes College teacher in a catfishing plot has been sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he serve at least 22 years.Paul McNaughton killed 75-year-old Peter Coshan in a flat in Leith on either 11 or 12 August 2022, after using a fake profile on a gay dating site to lure him to the address. Continue reading...
Negotiator Amos Hochstein dispatched by Washington amid anxiety that deepening conflict could trigger warA senior envoy from the Biden administration is due in Israel for talks aimed at averting a deepening conflict with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, after Israel warned over the weekend that the country was on the brink of a wider escalation".Amos Hochstein has spent months in largely behind-the-scenes diplomacy in an attempt to quieten tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Since the war in Gaza began in October, there have been worsening daily exchanges of fire, and tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced on both sides of the Blue Line" between Israel and Lebanon. Continue reading...
First hearing of journalist, who denies charges of spying for the US, scheduled for 26 June in YekaterinburgRussia will hold the espionage trial of detained American reporter Evan Gershkovich, who denies charges of collecting secrets for the CIA, behind closed doors later in June, a court in the city of Yekaterinburg said on Monday.Gershkovich, 32, was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on 29 March 2023 in a steak house in Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison. Continue reading...
Lambeth council, which raised bills for more than 3,000 tenants on communal heat networks, has delayed crediting them for over a yearA local authority that threatened tenants with eviction if they could not afford a 350% hike in energy bills has delayed crediting them with a 1m government subsidy for more than 12 months, it has emerged.Lambeth council is facing demands to pay compensation to residents who campaigners say have been forced into poverty by its conduct. Continue reading...
The 37-year-old actor says he felt suicidal after previous partners accused him sexual and emotional abuse in 2021, allegations he deniesArmie Hammer has given a candid interview since multiple sexual misconduct and abuse allegations were made against him three years ago, saying he is now grateful" it all happened - including the bizarre" cannibalism rumours.Whatever it was that people said, whatever it was that happened, I'm now at a place in my life where I'm grateful for every single bit of it," Hammer said on the Painful Lessons podcast. Continue reading...
Seven out of top 10 most played acts, encompassing radio, broadcast and public places, are BritishBritons rule the airwaves in the UK, with Ed Sheeran taking the most played spot and homegrown artists dominating the top 10 in a chart compiled by the music licensing company PPL.For Yorkshire-born and Suffolk-raised Sheeran, 33, it is the seventh time in nine years he has topped the list of music used across UK radio, TV and in public places. Continue reading...
University Hospitals Sussex admits errors, failures and surgeon disagreements in case of Ken ValderA troubled NHS trust has apologised to the family of a man who died after a series of delays led to him waiting four times longer for an operation than a national cancer target.Before he died in November 2022, Ken Valder, 66, a former tax inspector and voluntary steward at Brighton & Hove Albion football club, complained of delays after delay" to his treatment for oesophageal cancer. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#6NJN7)
States are on course to spend $100bn a year, driven by a sharp increase in US defence budgetsGlobal spending on nuclear weapons is estimated to have increased by 13% to a record $91.4bn during 2023, according to calculations from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) pressure group.The new total, which is up $10.7bn from the previous year, is driven largely by sharply increased defence budgets in the US, at a time of wider geopolitical uncertainty caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Continue reading...
Macron's move to call snap elections also seen as helping commission president's bid for second termUrsula von der Leyen is on track to remain for a second term as president of the European Commission, as EU leaders meet on Monday for a first discussion on divvying up the bloc's top jobs.The EU's 27 heads of state and government will gather for dinner in Brussels in their first group meeting since European elections last week boosted nationalist and far-right parties and triggered Emmanuel Macron to call snap elections in France. Continue reading...
Millions face disaster as Sudanese army and RSF accused of using food access as a weapon in on-going warSudan is facing a famine that could become worse than any the world has seen since Ethiopia 40 years ago, US officials have warned, as aid deliveries continue to be blocked by the warring armies but arms supplies to both sides continue to flow in.With much of the world's attention focused on Gaza, the scene of another human-made famine, Sudan is already the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and is slipping towards a humanitarian disaster of historic proportions, with far less media coverage and global concern. A UN humanitarian appeal for the country has received only 16% of the funds it needs. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6NJN8)
Schools and health services forced to offer crisis help in the form of food, clothing, money and adviceBritain's schools and primary health services are staggering" under the pressure of demand caused by an epidemic of extreme poverty, as desperate families unable to afford food, clothing or heating increasingly turn to them for crisis help.Teachers and GPs in England, Scotland and Wales are informally acting as emergency food providers, welfare advisers, housing officers and social workers alongside their day jobs, as they devote more and more time and resources to support struggling parents and children, new research has found.Primary school staff estimated 48% of their pupils, and primary care staff 57% of their patients, had experienced hardship at some point since the start of the school year or over the past 12 months.A third of schools, and nearly half of GP surgeries, had set up food banks to provide emergency food supplies to hungry pupils and families. Staff in schools in deprived areas estimated 44% of pupils had come to school hungry over the past year.Nearly a quarter of NHS primary care staff and 40% of teachers said they had dipped into their own pockets to help pupils and patients. In one case, a nurse gave new underpants, still in their packet and intended for her husband, to a desperate patient. Continue reading...
The actor and director came together for a Mean Streets reunion at Tribeca film festival, with superfan Nas asking the questionsOn paper, it had a certain Mad Libs quality to it: the Tribeca film festival programmed a fiftieth anniversary screening of downtown classic Mean Streets, with star and festival co-founder Robert De Niro on hand for a Q&A along with director Martin Scorsese - the curveball being that those questions were asked by none other than rapper, lifelong New Yorker, and evident film buff Nas.The seeming incongruence faded away pretty quickly, and not just when Nas recalled shooting his Street Dreams music video as scrupulous homage to the Scorsese/De Niro joint Casino. (Growing up, Goodfellas taught us a lot," he added. It was helpful.") He set the stage for the event by expressing everything Mean Streets means and has meant to him, part of the longstanding mutual admiration between gangster cinema and hip-hop. As a restless young man in search of a dollar wherever he could get it, he saw an aspirational figure in De Niro's hot-tempered hustler Johnny Boy, and as a budding artist using the modest means available to convey his raw vision of authentic drama at street-level, he came to see himself in Scorsese. The film, released exactly one month after Nas' birth, taps into something fundamental about the city's essence, the hustle, the spirit," he said. Continue reading...
This year's big Broadway winners so far include Jeremy Strong, Daniel Radcliffe and 70s-set play StereophonicBest performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Make UK survey foresees growth in sector, but warns next government must tackle skills shortageBritain's largest manufacturers are expecting orders and output to increase dramatically in the second half of the year, even as a chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening the ability of some companies to do business.Manufacturing is returning to normal business conditions after wild swings in demand during the pandemic, disruptions in prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the effect on supply chains of blockages and conflict around the Suez canal, according to a survey of 320 companies by the trade body Make UK. Continue reading...
Manifesto has no pledge to end rule Angela Rayner called inhumane' but there have been hints at more to comeSenior Labour figures have been crystal clear in the past about the two-child benefit limit, with Angela Rayner saying it was obscene and inhumane" and Jonathan Ashworth calling it heinous".Yet, as expected, Keir Starmer's safety-first manifesto lacked any promise to reverse it, and shadow ministers have been wheeled out to underline the need to make tough choices" and avoid unfunded promises. Rayner has said Labour has to prioritise". Continue reading...
IFS research shows 670,000 more children will be hit by policy by end of next parliament if limit stays in placeKeir Starmer is facing renewed pressure to scrap the two-child benefit limit, as research reveals that 250,000 more children will be hit by the policy over the next year alone.Labour's manifesto for government, published last week, included the promise of an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty", but no mention of the two-child limit. Continue reading...
Grant StClair-Armstrong will appear on the ballot paper but be an independent if he wins against Kemi BadenochThe Reform UK candidate Grant StClair-Armstrong has resigned after it was discovered he had previously encouraged people to vote for the far-right British National party.StClair-Armstrong, 71, is standing for election in North West Essex, challenging the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch. Continue reading...
Plant-based food company This has not detected E coli in the wrap but is concerned about possible contaminationA third sandwich and wrap manufacturer has recalled one of its products after an E coli outbreak that has left 67 people in hospital and more than 200 in total seriously ill.On Sunday evening the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said This had taken the precautionary step of recalling its This Isn't Chicken and Bacon wrap because of possible contamination with E coli". Continue reading...
Body of missing man found on Mathraki beach in string of recent cases of Greek island visitors dead or gone missingA missing US tourist has been found dead on a beach on a small Greek island west of Corfu, local media reported.The body of the man was found Sunday on a rocky, fairly remote beach on the island of Mathraki by another tourist. He had been reported missing Thursday by his host, a Greek American friend. The tourist had last been seen Tuesday at a cafe in the company of two female tourists who have since left the island. Continue reading...
PM says I'm not against it in principle' with issue expected to be subject of Commons vote in next parliamentRishi Sunak has said he is not opposed to assisted dying in principle ahead of an expected vote on the issue in the next parliament.Speaking to journalists in Puglia, the prime minister said he was not against changing the law on euthanasia. Continue reading...
Police said the two men were being held on suspicion of manslaughter following incident in Carlton-in-LindrickA 16-year-old boy has died after being injured by a falling tree.Nottinghamshire police said two men, aged 28 and 31, had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the death on Saturday. Continue reading...
The house's menswear show drew on youthful spirit, while Fendi got ready to mark 100 years with a new crestThey have been been ridiculed as snowflakes and too woke" by some, but Prada's co-creative designers think gen Z are a generation to be celebrated.Speaking backstage after their latest menswear show, which took place on Sunday afternoon at the Prada Foundation in Milan, Miuccia Prada said: Youth is the future. It is hope. We wanted to do something that would express youthful optimism because the times are so bad." Continue reading...
World news | The Guardian